MHRA to pilot adverse drug reactions system

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is to pilot a new system for pharmacists to report adverse drug reactions online

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is to pilot a new system for pharmacists to report adverse drug reactions (ADR) online.

Working in partnership with the UK Medicines Information service (UKMi), the MHRA intends to make its Yellow Card reporting scheme easier for pharmacists to use, as well as enabling information about each ADR to be captured. This data will then be used to process the automatic production of a Yellow Card.

The electronic system of reporting will be evaluated by medicines information pharmacists at five NHS hospitals. Once the pilot is successfully completed, the system will be deployed across the country, according to the MHRA.

Dr June Raine, director of Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines at the MHRA, said: "Reporting suspected adverse drug reactions via the Yellow Card Scheme is a vitally important way of monitoring medicines for potential drug safety issues. Easier access to the Yellow Card scheme enables the earlier detection of any potential drug safety issues, allowing the MHRA to take prompt action to protect public health."

The Yellow Card scheme was introduced by the MHRA in 1964, and allows healthcare professionals and patients to report suspected adverse reactions and side effects associated with medicines and vaccines.

It is intended as an early warning system to identify previously unreported reactions and highlight associated risks.